Originally published in Entrepreneur Magazine

By Ganesh Raj

Everyone knows that a cancer diagnosis can be devastating for the person on the receiving end. It is easy to fall into a dark place emotionally and delay important treatment decisions. All this, at a time, when poor choices can prove fatal.

I’ve noticed that many of the entrepreneurs and CEOs I have treated have been especially adept at taking charge of their diagnosis. In more than 12 years as a cancer surgeon, I have noticed that what defines these patients is their ability to compartmentalize and marshal resources forward. They quickly clear their heads, get the facts and make decisions.

I know the average person doesn’t necessarily have all the resources of a CEO. But, that doesn’t mean he or she can’t learn important lessons from that entrepreneur’s skillset about taking control of big-time decisions, especially around their health.

The truth is that technology and higher costs are going to push everyone to be the captain of their own medical ship and with that responsibility will come increasing choices and power. Given this consumerization of healthcare, and the good outcomes I see from patients with an entrepreneur’s mindset, I’ve spent time speaking with my business leader patients to try to understand what’s going on under the hood. It occurs to me that their decision-making machinery could provide a schematic for anyone faced with a cancer diagnosis.

Read the full article at https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/302284

Dr. Ganesh Raj is a cancer surgeon and researcher at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.